Tigerville, S.C. – The North Greenville Crusaders took one of two games from the Newberry Wolves losing the first game 3-0 and winning the second game 4-1.

GAME ONE NGU – 0 NEWBERRY - 3

Newberry started the scoring early against the Crusaders when first baseman Haley Simonds took a 1-1 count pitch from Brooklyn Fort deep to left center field. This would be the game’s first and only hit until the top of the seventh inning when Haley Wildes reached base with a bunt single. Right after Wildes bunt single Simonds would send her second homerun of the game flying when she smacked a 3-2 count pitch out.

Although there were two homeruns hit this was a pitchers dual with Brooklyn Fort pitching seven solid innings for the Crusaders allowing three earned run on four hits and striking out three. Devon Morrison of the Wolves also threw seven shut-out innings striking out six and only allowing two hits. Shayna Finley and Haley Gray led the Crusaders with one hit a piece. While Grace DeBoer also helped the Crusaders by snagging the only walk of the game by Devon Morrison.

However, the Crusaders had a chance late in the game to push some runs across when Grace DeBoer got the rally started with a leadoff walk which was then followed up by a Haley Gray bunt single. With runners on first and second and one out in the sixth, Shayna Finley came up and ripped a single into centerfield and advanced DeBoer to third and Gray to second but the rally was ended on a fielder’s choice to third base that was thrown home to tag the Crusader baserunner out. In the bottom of the seventh the Crusaders were not able to pick the rally up where they left off and would lose the hard fought battle 3-0.

GAME TWO NGU – 4 NEWBERRY – 1

The Wolves came out red hot once again in the first inning with Christina Linton ripping the fourth pitch of the game up the middle for a base hit. But Amanda Coffrin settled in and retired the next three batters she faced to spoil the early Wolves threat. Coffrin pitched a masterful game two in which she tallied up seven innings giving up one earned run on six hits and striking out an impressing six batters. J

ust as impressive were the Crusader hitters totaling up seven hits and four runs and not striking out a single time against the Wolve’s Emily Marchbanks. The Crusaders were led by Grace DeBoer who finished the game hitting 2-3 with an RBI. Also leading the Crusaders was Shayna Finley by hitting her team and Conference Carolinas leading seventh homerun of the season. Celsea Rivers and Kate Lee also contributed an RBI a piece to the Crusaders 4-1 victory.

Celsea Rivers would lead the charge in the third inning when she reached first on an error and three pitches later would advance to third on a base hit by Megan Johnson. Kate Lee would then drive in Rivers on a fielder’s choice. Later in the inning Kaitlyn Wagers would take a pitch off the elbow to load the bases for the Crusaders.

The very next batter would be Grace DeBoer who hit a screamer to the short stop who would not be able to throw Johnson out at the plate pushing the Crusader lead to 2-0. The Wolves would answer back in the top of the fourth with a run of their own when Christina Linton would single up the middle scoring Shannon McCann. But the Crusaders would answer right back in bottom of the fourth when Shayna Finley ripped her seventh homerun of the year over the left field giving the Crusaders a 3-1 lead. Scoring would grind to a halt until the sixth inning when Celsea Rivers would rip a triple down the left field line to score Shayna Finley who walked in the previous at bat. After the Crusaders pushed the score to 4-1 in the bottom of the ninth the Wolves tried to put together a two out rally in the top of the seventh inning when Natalie Willis ripped a single up the middle but would be denied by Coffrin in the very next at bat when she would get a popup to left field to end the game.

The Crusaders will be in action again this Saturday February 25, 2017 when they play host to Milligan College first pitch of the double header will be at 1pm followed by game two at 3pm.